One of the best things about being stationed out here in Hawaii is the ability to island hop and it counts as the local area…aka no taking leave!
A few friends and myself finally had a 3-day weekend off a month ago and decided to go check out Kauai (the Garden Isle). We did quite a bit around the island, ate plenty of food, and had an amazing time!
We just flew on Hawaiian Airlines to Kauai from Honolulu, such a short and easy flight! The price of the flight to get out there was around $100-200 and should get cheaper whenever Southwest starts flying out there too.
Where We Stayed
We opted to go with renting an Airbnb instead of just getting a hotel south of Kauai in a city called Poipu. It was a cute little condo and was pretty central to a lot of things to do and places to eat around that area.
I definitely love when we can do Airbnb, especially with a group, because normally it’ll cut down cost and you’re all in one central area to all hang out!
What We Did
Nā Pali Coast Trail – This is a super well known trail for visiting Kauai and while the hike is actually 11 miles, we opted to just hike about 3.5. Just wanted to see some of Kauai’s famous coastline!
In order to go to the beach near this trail or hike, you need to have a reservation made ahead of time (click here to view the website with more information) or you need to be a resident of Hawaii. They are also military friendly and let us go in!
The total length, like I said before, of the hike is around 11 miles with a 300′ waterfall at some point during it. Most people that hike the full thing end up camping and you have to get a permit to do so. The views were AMAZING! The Nā Pali Coast is very beautiful and really makes us want to go back and hike the whole thing!
On the drive to the trail, you pass by a lot of cute shops and restaurants if you want to stop! We did on the way back to get food, which i’ll talk about later!
Kilauea Lighthouse – This lighthouse is situated on the north side of the island near a bird sanctuary. It was beautiful and had some very unique history to it. It does cost $10 a person (unless you’re military or possibly a student).
If you just want a view and to see some of the birds, then go ahead and stop at the first parking area. Otherwise, I would keep going to the next one to the lighthouse (where I promise you’ll still get to see some amazing views). The parking directions are kind of confusing at first.
Koloa Rum Company – Its located at the Gaylord’s area with a couple of places to eat and some kids activities. But, most importantly it has FREE rum tasting! I’m not a big rum person, but they were all really good!
(And they change out rums that they taste every day for 3 days…so if you really like rum, you can go back 3 days in a row and try all of them!)
Waimea Canyon & State Park – This canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of Hawaii and is so amazing; its definitely a MUST DO if you visit! We just drove pretty much the whole way, because there are so many lookout spots with picnic areas to stop at and take beautiful pictures!
Some lookouts are free and off the side of the highway, but once you actually get into the state park there are separate lookouts and hiking trails. But, to park you need to pay $5 at a pay meter, but they’re good for each of the next three spots you can stop at.
At different lookouts, you’ll not only get views of just the canyon, but also of the island Ni’ihau (an island that locals are only allowed to go, besides on one beach) and just other beautiful views of Kauai.
Trailheads to the hikes can be hard to find and some that are listed in the park can’t be found on All Trails, but there are SO many to pick from! A recommendation from our other friends who also went, the Canyon trail gets you up close and personal to the waterfall, so definitely worth it!
Poipu Beach Park – Most beaches are pretty small, but we chose one that was close to where we were staying and it ended up having TWO turtles just sleeping with everyone running and swimming around! It was also situated in shallow cove, so that it is easy for kids to swim around and still stay in the shallow end and the waves crash outside of the rocks. But, if you want a snorkel type beach, I would say go to another one.
Kauai Humane Society – We had some time to kill before leaving for our flights, so we decided to go play with some kittens and puppies in the shelter. It was definitely a special humane society, because if you ever decide to visit Kauai (which you should!), you can go here and take a dog out on “field trips,” like if you go on a hike, you can go take the dog out for the day and allow it to hang out and get some cuddles! I thought it was an amazing idea!
Mukauwahi Cave Trail – There is a small cave near where we were staying (there is a $10 donation fee if you have cash on you). You’ll come up to a small hole that you need to bend down to get into that leads into a large opening where that cave is and you can walk around the path to go to the actual cave.
They have the ability sometimes for people to go cave diving, but I think right now they’re still trying to figure out paths. A guide is standing there, in the deeper cave, with history on the cave and if you have any questions.
It’s located next to an area where you can walk in and go visit with some tortoises. They were huge and there were about 5 or 6 of them that you can go visit!
Where To Eat
Safaris/Mahiko – Located at the Gaylord’s next to the sweet shop (get the oreo bar…SO GOOD). Nice stop for some drinks and appetizers, but they don’t have guacamole for their chips…eat the avocado with caution lol.
Little Fish Coffee – A cute little coffee shop with açai bowls near where our Airbnb and some hotels are at. They also have benches to just sit out and enjoy your drinks/food.
Tiki INiki
Kōke’e Lodge – A great home style restaurant located up in the state park near Waimea Canyon, they also have a coffee shop next to the restaurant. Get the Blue Basil Lemonade…super yummy!
Bangkok Happy Bowl Thai Bistro & Bar
Puka Dog & Papalani Gelato – Right next to the Thai Bistro in a little shopping area where you can get authentic Hawaiian Hot Dogs (yes, they’re different from regular hot dogs).
Mark’s Place – Good Hawaiian food (mixed plates).
Kauai Beer Company
Kauai was definitely an amazing island that I absolutely loved so much to visit! I will 100% be going back to visit!
Have you ever been to Kauai? What did you do/eat there that you would recommend?
